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 TruStory CRE: 5th 6th Grade Lesson Prepared by Bill Stahler Tru Sun, Wedgwood Baptist Chuch
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. A Storytelling video is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 7 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 7 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 My dad is an attorney and a natural fighter with an ability to wiggle his way out of sticky
3 situations. In the past, when he got himself into trouble because of his fiery personality, my dad charmed his way out of it or, at least, escaped. However, all along he has loved God. My dad has always awakened before the sun to pray and underline the pages of his Bible over and over until they tear. He has approached his relationship with God with the same energy and determination he applies to everything else in his life. Though many people might say my dad has a difficult personality, God has changed him over time. I used to avoid confrontation with him because he always won any argument out of sheer force. Now I don't hesitate to speak with him about anything. My dad responds with grace and humility traits he wouldn't have without God in his life. God faithfully travelled with my dad on his journey and lovingly formed him to be more like Him. God continues to be faithful to finish the work He began in my dad, and He will be faithful to walk with me and with you. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage God's faithfulness in Jacob's life didn't always take the form we might expect. In Genesis 32:26 28, Jacob wrestled with God all night. God took on the form of a man, and Jacob struggled and struggled until the man asked Jacob to let him go. Jacob refused, saying he wouldn't let go until the man blessed him. Then the man asked his name, and after Jacob responded, the man changed Jacob's name to Israel. Why did God ask for Jacob's name right after Jacob said he wouldn't let God go until He blessed him? Some biblical scholars suggest this question parallels the one his father Isaac asked him many years before. When Isaac asked Jacob for his name, he said, "I am Esau." Then he used his brother's name to steal the blessing. In today's passage, God came to redeem Jacob of what his name symbolized. (Remember, Jacob means "deceiver.") Obviously, God knew Jacob's name. Perhaps God asked him for his name because He wanted to know if Jacob knew it. When Jacob answered, "My name is Jacob," he acknowledged his true self.
4 After many years of running away, Jacob finally faced his sins, repented, and was changed by God. God even changed Jacob's name to "Israel," which means "one who strives with God." God's plan for Jacob's life was greater than Jacob could imagine. God prevailed in Jacob's life, blessed him, and made him into a great nation. God is faithful to complete what He begins. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word It seems like just about every major character in the Bible has had a "desert experience" a time when God worked through trying circumstances to form and shape him into the kind of person He wanted him to be. Moses had his 40 years in the desert. Joseph was sold into slavery and spent time in jail. David spent his time in the wilderness being chased by Saul. Even Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. Jacob also had his time of testing and trials. He was gone from his home for 20 years all the while being deceived by his uncle Laban. God eventually blessed him and brought him home, but that time away served to mature and grow him into the person God wanted him to be. Think back over your life and what sorts of desert experiences you have gone through. What have been the most significant times when God has used life experiences to really get your attention? What was God teaching you through these times? How has God shown Himself to be faithful? As you prepare this week to serve God and serve the children you will lead, meditate on how God has been faithful in your life. Then let this gratitude for God's goodness flow over into the lesson you will teach.
5 10 minutes CONNECT Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Number Draw Supplies -Paper (2 sheets) -Scissors -Hat or bag -Whiteboard and dry erase marker After Jacob left home, he traveled alone to his uncle's house. Today we're going to get to know one another better by discussing some questions related to traveling. Set Up Cut the paper into strips about an inch wide. Write "1," "2," or "3" on each strip. Fold the strips and place them in the hat or bag. Write the following numbered questions on the whiteboard: 1. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Why? 2. Whom would you take with you on a trip if you could take anyone you wanted? 3. If you could pack only three things to take on a long trip, what would those items be? Relate CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet students. Open your time by asking this question: If you could choose one person to hang out with for an entire week, whom would you choose and why? To play, gather your kids into a circle and choose a student to draw a numbered strip of paper from the hat. The student will answer the question that corresponds to the number she drew. Then she will choose another person to draw a numbered strip of paper and answer the
6 question, or she can choose to pass the hat around the circle. Once each student answers a question, if time permits, allow each person to draw another strip of paper. If a kid draws the same question twice, he can choose to ask another student that question.
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: Remember Verse Stairway Supplies -Construction paper (3 or 4 sheets, any color) -Marker -Tape Prepare Ahead Cut each sheet of construction paper into three or four strips. Write different parts of the Remember Verse and the verse reference onto the strips of construction paper with printing large enough to be read from a distance. Set Up
8 Tape all of the Remember Verse parts to the wall so they are stair-stepped like a stairway.. Relate Gather your kids and point to each "step" on the Remember Verse stairway, guiding everyone to read the verse together. Go through the verse a few times. Then, remove a step of the verse and have the students repeat the entire verse. When the students finish reciting the verse, remove another step and have the kids repeat it again. Continue until students are able to recite the entire verse without any help. Storytelling Supplies -Bibles -Name tags (7) -Marker -Poster board (1 sheet) -Tape -Lesson 7 Investigate TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Bible Passage: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33 Storytelling Technique: Key Words God Is Faithful Optional Storytelling Video Prepare Ahead Write the following words on the name tags: "Overtaker," "Alone," "Blessed," "Afraid," "Desperate," "Wrestler," and "Strives." Tape the poster board to the wall. Relate Hand out the name tags. If you have a smaller group, each student can have more than one name tag. Have you ever named something, such as a pet? What did you name it? Why did you choose that name? Allow kids to respond; interact with their responses. Many
9 times, when we choose a name for a pet, or when our families choose our name or give us a nickname, the name describes something about us or about our family. Do any of you have names or nicknames that describe you? Allow responses God sometimes changed the names of people in The Big God Story. Do you remember some people in The Big God Story who had their names changed? Allow responses Yes. Abram became Abraham, and Sarai became Sarah. Let's pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us through the part of The Big God Story we'll hear today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Many years later, Abraham and Sarah's son, Isaac, had twin boys. What was the name of the youngest son? Allow responses. Yes. Jacob. Today some of you have name tags with different words describing Jacob as God continued to work through his life. When I say the word on your name tag, bring it forward, stick it to the poster board, and help us learn more about Jacob and what God did for him. You may remember that before Jacob and Esau were born, God told their parents, Isaac and Rebekah, that Jacob, the younger brother, would receive the blessing the special honor that belonged to Esau as the firstborn son. Instead of trusting in God's timing, Jacob and his mother made their own plans and tricked Esau out of his blessing. The name Jacob even means "one who wrongfully overtakes the place of another person." Jacob lied and deceived. He planned on overtaking Esau's position in the family! Invite the person with the "Overtaker" name tag to bring it forward and stick it to the poster. So Jacob fled to his uncle's home. Invite the student with the "Alone" name tag to bring it forward and stick it to the poster. Although Jacob traveled alone, God was with him the entire way. God was faithful to Jacob because God knew Jacob was part of the promise God had made to Abraham to bless the whole world through his family. What does faithful mean? Allow responses Good thoughts. Yes, it means doing what you say you will do. God is always faithful, and we can trust Him. One night, while Jacob was traveling, God gave him a dream. In the dream, Jacob saw a stairway to heaven with angels on it. At the top of the stairway was God Himself. In the dream, God reminded Jacob of who He was and of the covenant He had made with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. Have the kids open their Bibles to Genesis 28:13 15, and ask a volunteer to read these verses aloud. Invite the student with the "Blessed"
10 name tag to bring it forward and stick it to the poster God knew everything about Jacob and told Jacob what He planned to do through Jacob's life. Through this amazing experience, Jacob came to know God and recognized that God had been with him all along even when he hadn't realized it! God is faithful. To remember how God had made Himself known, Jacob took a stone and created an altar to the Lord. He called the place "Bethel," and it remained a special place to Jacob throughout his life. After Jacob arrived at his uncle's house, Jacob worked for his uncle for 20 years. There he got married, raised a family, and made a home for himself. One day, God called Jacob to return to his homeland and face his brother Esau. So Jacob packed up his family and headed home. How do you think Jacob felt knowing he would see his brother? Allow responses. Right. He probably felt a little nervous, even afraid. Invite the student with the "Afraid" name tag to bring it forward. It had been many years since he had seen his brother. Jacob sent messengers to Esau to tell him he was coming. When the messengers returned to Jacob, they told him that Esau was coming and bringing 400 men with him! Jacob became even more afraid. He divided up his people in hopes that they could be spared should Esau attack them. Then Jacob prayed to God for His protection. Jacob was desperate for help. Invite the person with the "Desperate" name tag to bring it forward. He also sent many gifts for his brother, hoping he would accept them and be glad to see Jacob. That night, something strange happened. Jacob didn't sleep because he spent the entire night wrestling with God! God took on the form of a man and wrestled Jacob. Invite the student with the "Wrestler" name tag to bring it forward The man touched Jacob's hip and it came out of its socket! Ouch! Have the kids turn to Genesis 32:26 29, and ask a volunteer to read these verses aloud. After their wrestling match, God gave Jacob a new name: Israel, which means "one who strives with God." Invite the person with the "Strives" name tag to bring it forward. God knew Jacob beyond his actions and had planned for Jacob to receive the blessing. Throughout his journey, Jacob went from someone who knew only of God to someone who knew Him personally. Because he knew God, Jacob was willing to listen to Him and trust Him with his life. The next morning, Jacob went to meet Esau. What do you think Esau did or said to Jacob? Allow responses. Good thoughts. Read Genesis 33:4 to your group. Wow! Can you
11 believe these were the same two brothers who never got along and hadn't seen each other in 20 years after Jacob took Esau's birthright and blessing? Even though God had promised the blessing to Jacob, it was not his to take. The blessing was meant to be given by God in His timing. Jacob made mistakes, but God never gave up on him. God had even changed Esau too. God was faithful to continue working in these brothers and also showed Himself to be faithful to His promises. Take a marker and write "Faithful" in large, bold letters across the name tags. Knowing God and having a relationship with Him changed Jacob forever, and God can do the same for us. He is the faithful God who knows everything about us and still wants a relationship with us, even when we make mistakes. He will never leave us or give up on us. He is faithful, and we can trust Him more and more each day. Share about a time you saw God's faithfulness in your own life. Discussion Questions - What did Jacob see in his dream? Genesis 28:12 13 - What did God promise Jacob in his dream? Genesis 28:14 15 - Why was Jacob never alone? Genesis 28:15 - What does faithful mean? - How was God faithful to Jacob in his life? - How did knowing God change Jacob's life? - What do you think is the most interesting thing God did for Jacob? Why?
12 15 minutes RESPOND Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. A New Name Supplies -Paper (1 sheet per child) -Name tags (1 per child) -Pens -"Remain" or "Chasing After Me," TruWorship Sincerely Yours God gave Jacob a new name Israel! In this section, students will use name tags to consider God's work in their life and the truth He speaks about them. Relate God knew that Jacob would make mistakes, and God even knew Jacob would run away from those mistakes! God was still faithful to His promise to Jacob's family. When Jacob faced times of loneliness and fear, God was with Him. Knowing God changed Jacob's life, and he became a new man with a new name. God can do the same thing for us! He is always with us, even when we don't realize He's there. He is faithful even when we run away from our mistakes. Is there anything you would like to say to God today about His faithfulness? If so, what would you say? Allow responses. Invite your students to take a few minutes to ponder the fact that God knew Jacob and chose to make Himself known to him. Then hand out paper and pens and ask the kids to think about times when they felt lonely, scared, or discouraged. Encourage the kids to write about those moments. During this time, play "Remain" or "Chasing After Me."
13 God gave Jacob a new name: Israel. When Jacob wrestled with God, he became a changed man. Now hand out the name tags and give each student a moment to ask God if He might have new name for her. Have her write that name on her name tag. If kids don't sense the Holy Spirit speaking to them in this way, encourage them to write words describing something that stood out to them about today's portion of The Big God Story. If you'd like, display the kids' papers and name tags on a wall in your room. (Optional) Stairway Race Supplies -Bandanas or small flags (2) When Jacob was alone in the desert, he dreamed about a giant stairway going to heaven. Today, invite your kids to race on a "stairway" in your room. Relate Divide your class into two equal teams. Have each team sit in a line on the floor, facing the other team, with their legs stretched out in front of them so their feet touch the other team. The kids should be an arm's length apart from one another on their own team. Place a bandana or flag at the end of each team's line. On your signal, the person farthest from the bandana will stand and race up the "stairway" toward the bandana, being careful not to trip over any "steps" (the kids' legs). When the student reaches the bandana, she will grab it, run behind her team back to the beginning of the line (outside the stairway), and hand it to the next person. That person will repeat the process and so on (kids do not rejoin their team's stairway when their turn is done; they should stand out of the way and cheer on their team). The stairway will keep getting shorter and shorter as the race progresses. Once all of a team's players complete the race, that team wins. Developmentally Speaking Fifth and sixth graders are often very competitive and very aware of what's considered "fair." If any kids become overly competitive or get upset about losing, remind them that winning and losing are both a part of playing the game. Emphasize having a good time and cheering for one
14 another.
15 5 minutes BLESS Supplies -Bible -Lessons 6 9 Remember Verse Cards: Phil 1:6 TruStory Year 1 Fall -Lesson 8 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 Before you dismiss your students today, lead them in a time of blessing by reading Psalm 121:7 8: name tag to bring it forward. He also sent many gifts for his brother, hoping he would accept them and be glad to see Jacob. The LORD will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Now have the kids sit together in a circle as leaders go to each student individually, asking each one about something important coming up this week. It could be a test at school or a soccer game. Once kids share, have leaders bless each person, specifically addressing what's coming up this week. Then bless your group with the following words: May you see God's faithfulness in your life. May you praise Him for His goodness and love. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids.
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