After completing this Sunday school lesson, the children will realize that because of sin they are separated from God, and that because God is just, He must punish sin. However, He is also merciful, and does not want to punish us.
TOPICS
Born Again, Salvation, Grace, Justice, Judgement of God, Mercy, Wrath
AS KIDS ARRIVE (15 minutes)
Work Folders: Have the children's work folders available as they arrive.
God's Wrath Revealed (Puzzle) Click here
After the children complete this activity, have them place it in their folders.
OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISE (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
After prayer, ask the class about their homework assignment. They were to read about the time Cain killed his brother Abel in Genesis 4:1-14.
Discussion questions:
1. What were the reasons Cain killed his brother Abel? (Pride, jealousy, lack of faith in a holy God.)
2. How was Cain punished for his sin? (He was banished from the presence of God.)
3. Was the punishment given Cain too harsh, not harsh enough? Explain.
MEMORY WORK (12 minutes)
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Romans 1:18 NIV
Write the entire verse on the board and have the children read it together. Then begin by erasing some of the words, for example the word "the" or all words with only three letters etc. Then have the children read the verse again with the missing words. Then erase a few more words and have them read it again. Erase a few more and read it again. Continue until all the words are erased, and the children are reciting the entire verse from memory.
CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
Sin Spoils (Object Talk) Click here
SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 minutes)
Introduction:
Today, we will be reading from the book of Joshua, right after the Israelites fought and won the battle of Jericho. Jericho was the first city conquered by the Israelites after entering the promised land, so it was especially significant. Every material thing taken from the city was to be devoted to God. However, one man violated these instructions.
Read Joshua 7:1
Discussion Questions:
1. Who violated the instructions regarding the devoted things from Jericho? (Achan)
2. Who was affected because of his sin? (All Israel)
Later, Israel went to battle against the city of Ai. But this time they were not successful. In fact, about 36 men were killed and the rest were forced to return to camp, afraid and trembling. Then the Lord told Joshua why they failed. It was because Israel had violated the covenant by taking some of the devoted things. Then God told Joshua what he must do.
Read Joshua 7:14-26 (Punishment for Achan)
Discussion Questions:
1. How was Achan discovered as the one who violated God's covenant? (By coming tribe by tribe, clan by clan, then family by family, God was able to show Joshua who the sinner was.)
2. What does this tell you about our sins? (You cannot hide them from God.)
3. What were the consequences of Achan's sin? (Yes, death.)
4. What do we deserve for our own sins? (Eternal separation from God.)
5. Why was Achan's family killed along with him? (The family may have assisted in hiding the items. Also because Achan did not fear God, that attitude may have rubbed off on his family. In order to cleanse Israel, the entire family needed to be destroyed.)
6. What happened when Israel cleansed themselves of the sin of Achan? (God turned from his anger and wrath.)
CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes)
Who is Without Sin? (Activity) Click here
Closing CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
Verse Worksheet 1 Click here [PDF]
Have the children take Verse Worksheet 1 from their folder, and have them paraphrase the last two verses (Isaiah 59:2 and Romans 1:18). When finished, ask for two or more volunteers to share their paraphrases for all six verses. The finished Verse Worksheets may be taken home or kept in the folders.
APPLICATION (5 minutes)
So far, we have learned that Heaven is a free gift, and it cannot be earned. No matter how much money someone has, or how many good things they do, they cannot get to Heaven on their own. Last week (yesterday) we learned that no one is perfect, and everyone is a sinner. Because of that sin, we are separated from God.
Today, we learned how deadly that sin really is. Achan's entire family was destroyed because of his sin against God. The Bible says that God is just and must punish sin; however, He is also merciful and doesn't want to punish us. You may be wondering how God could punish our sins but not us. How can we cleanse ourselves from our sins? In our next lesson, we will see how God solved this dilemma by sending His only son, Jesus, to live with us.
For homework this week, I want everyone to read a short passage. Romans 5: 6-11. Read it several times, and be sure to look up any words you are not familiar with. When we meet again for our next lesson on Salvation, have an answer to the following questions:
1. Would it be difficult to give up your life to save the life of a real "bad" person or someone who sins against you? Why or why not?
2. How did God demonstrate His love for us?
NEXT WEEK
Encourage all the children to return next week. There are more games, activities and fun things to do, but more importantly, everyone will learn more about Salvation.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Further info? Click here
Prayer Box
Have each child take one card out of the box. (If they draw their own name, have them put it back and try again) Have a few minutes of silent prayer, so each child can pray for the person on their card. After praying, have them write their name on the back of the card. Close the lesson with prayer.
When finished, have each child put the card back into the box for next week.
TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]