The Biblical Path of Life

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  • Lesson 9 (Lesson 35): II Samuel 1-5: David Crowned as King

    Key Verse

    “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”  Psalms 25:14

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand the verse using the following definitions.

    secret:  Intimacy, conversation, consultation

    fear:  reverently fear

    covenant:  a pledge; a contract with promises of blessing for obedience, a curse for disobedience

    Today we will see the “secret” God had made with David many years earlier (that he would be king of Israel) come to pass.  We also notice that David’s relationship with God was one of reverential fear.  We see God show David that He will continue fulfilling His covenant with His people by establishing David as king.  This was pivotal in ushering in Jesus, the King of Kings (I Timothy 6:14-15).

    Summary:  Remember that we saw Saul became the first king of Israel, but had the kingdom removed from him and his family, forever, because of his disobedience to God’s words.  I Samuel 15:23:  “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”   I Samuel closed with King Saul’s death in battle.  We have now seen 3 of the 4 main characters in the books of Samuel have died.  We begin the book of II Samuel continuing in the life of David.  We open with David hearing the news, mourning, and Judah (one of the tribes of Israel – David’s tribe) anointing him as their king.  The rest of the tribes accept Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, as their king.  We see the nation in a state of conflict and turmoil as their king has died, and they try to go on.  Until they receive David, God’s choice for their king, there is no peace in the land.  Once David is established as king throughout Israel, they are prepared to move on as a nation.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  David faithfully sought God’s will for his life.  He knew God’s word and obeyed it.  He then saw God do just what He promised.  We see David live Matthew 6:33 long before it was written:  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 35 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 35 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a crown as we remembered how God made David king of Israel.  You could either purchase pre-made crowns through someplace like Oriental Trading or make your own with gold or silver poster board.  Stick on jewels are the easiest to use to decorate the crowns.  Some children are creative and enjoy coloring their own crowns  with markers making their own jewels.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 8 (Lesson 34): I Samuel 16-31: David Coming to the Kingdom

    Key Verse

    “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  Proverbs 16:7

     Read the Key Verse with your students.  It is very self explanatory.  But be sure that they understand – God is with those who please Him, and He will take care of His people.  We will see this in David’s life as we study our lesson for today.

    Summary After learning of Eli, Samuel, and Saul, we come to the final main character of I Samuel, David.  Last week we saw that the people had rejected God as their king and desired a man to rule over them.  God gave them Saul – physically, everything a people could want in a king.  He was good looking, and he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else.  But we found he chose to please man over God.  Remember Saul’s disobedience that caused God to remove the kingdom not only from him, but his family.  Today we see that God chooses a “man after his own heart.”  We see God take a man the world might see as one of low esteem (a shepherd boy), but one whom He raised up to serve Him.  When God chose David, he removed his spirit from Saul and allowed an “evil spirit” to trouble him.  Watch today and notice the conflict between these two men.  Notice that even though Saul sought to destroy David, when David walked with God, Saul could not destroy him.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  As we see God turn from Saul (for his disobedience) to David, Saul then became David’s enemy, after him at every turn.  We read that David continually sought God, and that even Saul recognized God was with David.  When David had opportunity to kill Saul, and would not, Saul promised David peace.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 34 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 34 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 1

    Lesson 34 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 2

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s we made a coloring book for each child.  Because David was a shepherd boy God chose to be the future king of Israel, there were many choices of coloring pages (some of the most famous are pictures of David fighting Goliath).  I chose some that told the story of David.  I had a book of construction paper cut and stapled together for them to glue the different pictures into in the correct order.  We colored some of the pictures in them with the time we had left.  They were then able to take their books home to color the rest of the pictures as they had time, helping them remember what we had learned in class that day.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 7 (Lesson 33): I Samuel 8-15: Saul

    Key Verse

    “For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.”  Jeremiah 16:17

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand that the verse tells that God’s eyes are upon everything.  Nothing happens that God does not know about; not even their iniquity (faults, mischief, and/or sin.)  There is no point in lying about something you may have done (or not done) because God knows it all and nothing is hidden from Him.

    Summary:  Today we will continue in the life of Samuel, but we will be introduced to the third main character in the book of I Samuel – Saul.  We learned last week, that when Samuel answered God’s call, God was able to use him to speak to the people for Him.  He was not only a priest, but he was a prophet of God.  Today we see that the people now verbally reject God as their king and want a man to rule over them.  God chose Saul.  He was, physically, everything a people could want in a king.  He was good looking, and he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else.  Today we learn what kind of a man he really was, and why God removed the kingdom not only from him, but his family.

    Emphasis:  We must remember that God sees everything.  We must please God in everything we do, obeying His commands.  In order to know what God wants from us, we must seek Him – read our Bible and pray, faithfully.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 33 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 33 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a coloring book for each child.  Because Saul was the first king of Israel, there were many choices of coloring pages.  I chose some that told the story of Saul.  I had a book of construction paper cut and stapled together for them to glue the different pictures into in the correct order.  We colored some of the pictures in them with the time we had left.  They were then able to take their books home to color the rest of the pictures as they had time, helping them remember what we had learned in class that day.  We also colored the page that is today’s Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet and discussed what it meant.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 6 (Lesson 32): I Samuel 1-7: Eli to Samuel

    Key Verse

    “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”  Proverbs 13:13

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand despiseth means “to disrespect” and feareth means “to be afraid; reverent.”  After you have explained these words to them, help them understand this verse is referring to God’s Word and His commandments.  It clearly helps us see that those who disrespect God’s Word will be destroyed, but one who reveres God’s Word will be rewarded.  Help them understand the difference and encourage them to choose to revere God’s Word.

    Summary:  As we begin the first book of Samuel, we will be introduced to the first two of four main characters found within the book.  They are Eli and Samuel.  Most of our time will be spent on Samuel.  His mother, Hannah, had been barren and prayed to God for a son.  God gave her the request, and Hannah kept her promise.  When she had prayed, she had promised to give back to God the son He would give to her.  Samuel grew up in God’s house serving a godless priest (remember the condition the nation was in from the book of Judges).  His name was Eli.  He had two sons who were wicked men.  In the book of I Samuel, we see how God allowed those who despised His Word to be destroyed, and how he took one who feared God’s commands and lifted him up to be a priest and prophet of God.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  We are to make our requests known to God, so that He can answer our prayers.  God’s people must always obey God’s commands and do what He tells us to do instead of what we want.  Also, we must listen for God to call upon us so that he can use us to serve him as did Samuel.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 32 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 32 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 1

    Lesson 32 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 2

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we found a Samuel coloring picture that we cut out to fit into a Samuel bedroll coloring picture.  We colored each picture.  We then cut out the bedroll coloring and glued the sides and bottom together to make a pocket for Samuel to sleep in.  Remind them of the importance of hearing God when He calls and responding to that call.

    Another idea to do in this lesson is to take Lesson 32 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1 and cut apart the Key Verse that is in pieces and glue it together on a piece of construction paper (see the picture below).

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

      

     

  • Lesson 5 (Lesson 31): Ruth: A Picture of Redemption

    Key Verse

    “As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 47:4

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Ask your students if they know what a “redeemer” is.

    redeemer:  basically means that of buying something back.

    After you help them understand the word “redeemer”, explain to them that Jesus (the Lord of hosts) is our redeemer.  He bought every one who belongs to him with his blood on the cross (I Peter 1:18-19:  “18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” and Ephesians 1:7:  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”)  We have learned that we all deserve the punishment of death (because of sin.)  Jesus paid the penalty, for those who believe, and died in their place which “bought” us back.  We will see a picture of redemption (buying something back) in the book of Ruth today.

    Summary:  During the book of Judges we saw how the nation as a whole had rejected God as their king.  Last week we noticed a couple, Samson’s parents, who heard from God and responded to God’s call.  We saw that God did what He had promised in their lives.  The book of Ruth takes place during the time of Judges.  This book, too, shows us there were people (although few) who still believed God and allowed Him to rule in their lives.

    Because of the turmoil and terrible times during the time of the Judges, Ruth is a breath of fresh air.  The book of Ruth is a picture of redemption.  She was a gentile (a Moabitess) who was living in a pagan land.  She did not know the true God.  When an Israelite family moved to Moab (because of a drought in Israel), she married into this family and heard of God.  When her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law died, she returned with her mother-in-law to the land of Israel.  Her view is clearly stated in Ruth 1:16-17:  “16. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”   It was there, after being redeemed by a kinsman, that she forever became a part of Jesus’ genealogy.  She was the great-grandmother of King David.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  To know Jesus is our redeemer, and that He bought us, if we will believe in Him.  Then, we should live as a light in this dark world so others can know Him.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 31 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 31 – Volume 1 Reinforcement Worksheet 1

    Lesson 31 – Volume 1 Reinforcement Worksheet 2

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made hanging verse.  We took a copy of the verse Ruth 1:16-17 and glued it to construction paper.  We discussed just what that verse meant, and how important of a decision it was to Ruth.  We also had a coloring sheet.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 4 (Lesson 30): Judges 13-21: The Tragedy of No King

    Key Verse

    “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  James 4:4

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help your students understand the verse.  Use the following meanings of the words from the memory verse to help you explain the gravity of this verse.

    adulterers and adulteresses:  one who is faithless toward God

    friendship:  causing the interests of the world to become your interests

    enmity:  enemy

    friend:  loved, befriended, kind

    world: specifically the wealth and enjoyments of this world, this life’s goods

    Keep this verse and the meaning of it in mind as we look at the last part of the book of Judges.  This was the root of the problem – they chose friendship with the world (and the things of the world) over a relationship with God, thereby becoming God’s enemy.

    Summary:  Remember that the time of the Judges was a sad time in Israel’s history.  The dominant theme within the book of Judges – 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”  Notice that it doesn’t say they did wrong, they thought what they were doing was right.  Although it didn’t appear wrong to them, it was wrong in God’s eyes.  They did not obey the commands God had given them.  We see that the Israelites had rejected God as their king.  They chose to be friends with the enemy nations.  They also chose to continually turn to the enemy’s idol worship.  We see how this made them God’s enemy, but we also see that God never left His people.

    We saw last week they had begun a vicious cycle:  the people forsook God, God allowed the enemy to oppress the people, the people cried out to God, and God sent a deliverer (a judge) to end the oppression.  This cycle continued through the rest of Judges.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  The people in Judges had become like the people who lived in Canaan land, the people they did not completely remove from the land.  When they became like them, their hearts were turned from God.  As Christians, we cannot be a friend of the world and God.  We must choose whether God is more important to us, or if it is the things of the world.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 30 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 30 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 1

    Lesson 30 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 2

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a coloring book for each child.  Because Samson is such another popular judge, there were many choices of coloring pages.  I chose some that told the story of Samson’s life.  I had a book of construction paper cut and stapled together for them to glue the different pictures into in the correct order.  We colored some of the pictures in them with the time we had left.  They were then able to take their books home to color the rest of the pictures as they had time, helping them remember what we had learned in class that day.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

     

  • Lesson 3 (Lesson 29): Judges 1-12: Decline of the Judges

    Key Verse:

    “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”  Proverbs 15:3

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Ask your students if they can see everything all of the time.  Help them understand that we are limited in what we can see.  God is not.  Help them understand that God can see everything, everywhere, all of the time!  Even when we don’t think God knows what is going on, He does.  Today we see what happens to a people who forgot God.  The people turned their heart from Him and did evil.

    Summary:  Judges was a sad time in Israel’s history.  Notice:  Judges 3:7 “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.”   They did not obey the commands God had given them.  There was a vicious cycle that began of the people forsaking God, God allowing the enemy to oppress the people, the people crying out to God, and God sending a deliverer (a judge) to end the oppression.  (They had a people and land but rejected their God.)  We see the rejection go from actions to a verbal request.  In spite of the people’s rejection of God, we see that God never forsook His people.  He continued to send a deliverer each time they cried out.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  The people in Judges became like the people who lived in Canaan land, the people they did not remove from the land.  When they became like them, their hearts were turned from God and God allowed the enemies to oppress them.  We, today, must not be like the world around us, or they will turn our hearts from God.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 29 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 29 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a coloring book for each child.  Because Gideon is such a popular judge, there were many choices of coloring pages.  I chose some that told the story of Gideon’s life.  I had a book of construction paper cut and stapled together for them to glue the different pictures into in the correct order.  We colored some of the pictures in them with the time we had left.  They were then able to take their books home to color the rest of the pictures as they had time, helping them remember what we had learned in class that day.

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 2 (Lesson 28): Joshua 12-24: Possessing the Land

    Key Verse

    “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” Proverbs 4:26

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand the word “ponder” means “to think about.”  They should think about where they go and what they do.  We need to be sure we only go the places God would approve of.  When we walk with God, He will bless us.  That is why it is important to “ponder the path of thy feet.”  Today, we see instances when God’s people choose to allow God to establish their ways.

    Summary:  Joshua opens with a listing and remembering of the lands and kingdoms conquered.  God tells Joshua how the land is to be divided.  The land is distributed and the people finally occupy the land (13-24), making it the land of Israel.  The people set up the tabernacle in the city of Shiloh (18).

    We also see a great conflict today, one that could have caused a civil war among God’s people.  We have a great example of a potentially divisive matter being handled in a godly manner, an example we all should heed today.

    We close today with a mighty challenge from Joshua:  choose this day who you will serve.  Joshua constantly reminded the people about God and what God had done for them.  He encouraged them to make a commitment, just as God’s people need to do today.  We must decide, each individual person, who we will serve.  In Joshua, we see God’s people choose to serve God.

    Until Joshua and his leading of God’s people into Canaan, they were a nation without a land.  At the close of Joshua, they are now a nation with a land mass.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  We must choose for ourselves to obey and serve God.  We will then see God bless and establish us as His people.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 28 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 28 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we took an oval foam sheet to make a hanging verse.  We put a foam sticker of a Bible times’ house, a cross and some heart stickers (you can choose different ones) and then we glued today’s key verse to it.  The idea is to remember that each house must choose to serve the Lord.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 1 (Lesson 27): Joshua 1-11: Conquering the Land

    Key Verse

    “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalms 27:1 

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Ask your students if they have ever been afraid of doing something.  Encourage them to share a time they may have been afraid (help them with some suggestions if they have trouble thinking of some-thing, i.e.:  going to a new place they have never been before, standing in front of a classroom alone, meeting someone new, telling someone about Jesus …).  Help them understand that when we do things God wants us to do, He is with us and will help us.  There is nothing to be afraid of.  Today we will see how God encouraged Joshua as he prepared to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

    Summary:  At the close of Deuteronomy, we saw the death of Moses.  God had appointed a new leader to lead the people into the land of Canaan.  Joshua was the man God chose to lead His people into the land of promise.  If you remember, Joshua had been born a slave in Egypt (where he witnessed God’s miracles), learned much from Moses, and endured the 40 years of wandering.  He was one of only two to live through the time of wandering (Caleb being the other man).  Joshua covers about 25 years of history.  Today we look at the first part and see where the Israelites (lead by Joshua) entered the land of Canaan   (Joshua 1-5), and conquered the land (Joshua 6-11).

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  When we walk with God in the ways the Bible teaches, God will be with us.  We should not be afraid of anything.  Joshua proved this in his life as he led the children of Israel to conquer the Promised Land.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 27 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 27 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a banner with the verse Joshua 1:9 on it.  We took brown craft paper cut to size to fit 2 dowel rods 12” long.  After gluing the paper to the dowel rods, you could tie brown yarn to each end of the rods to allow the verse to be hung. Write as much of the verse as your class is able.  Remind them that God will be with them when they follow Him, just like God was with Joshua!

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 13 (Lesson 26): Jesus in the Old Testament: Jesus Fulfilled the Law

    Key Verse

    “2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”  Romans 8:2-3

    Read the Key Verse with them.  Help them understand that Jesus set us free from the law that condemned us to death because of our sins.  We could never fulfill that law, but Jesus did and paid the penalty to save our life.

    Summary:  We have been learning about the first five books in the Old Testament, the books we call The Law.  In those books we watched as God gradually, over time, revealed himself to mankind.  He allowed us to see that He is perfect and sinless, and also, we saw just how sinful man is.  God showed from the beginning that it took the shedding of blood to cover man’s sins.  He, at the same time, revealed that He would one day send the perfect once and for all sacrifice to take away man’s sin.  Today, we see in Hebrews 10, that that law was just a picture to help us understand just what it was that Jesus had to fulfill completely in order to take away our sins.  When we accept the gift God gave us in His Son, Jesus, he then writes His law on our hearts.  Then we have no excuse.  We know.  We are to live our lives pleasing God.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  In the books of the law, we saw the importance of recognizing sin and even the cost of sin – the shedding of blood.  It was just a picture for us to understand what Jesus one day did on the cross.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 26 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 26 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For this lesson I cut out a very large heart out of construction paper (as big as the whole sheet).  We then cut out some preprinted verses (that I had made) and glued them on the heart.  We then added stickers of different verses (purchased through Oriental Trading).  The idea is to remind them of the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts (memorizing Scripture verses).

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural. Today, have them draw a large heart and write some of God’s commands on it to remind them that we are to write God’s Word on our heart so that we won’t sin against Him. You may also want to let them make a Bible marker with Psalm 119:11 on it to keep in their Bibles to help them remember to hide God’s word in their hearts.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.