OBEDIENCE
Week 1: The Way of Obedience
Memory Verse:
Preschool – Grades 1-3: “Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.” – Deuteronomy 8:6
Grades 4 and up: “Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.”- Deuteronomy 8:6-9
LESSON:
Story: Adam and Eve disobey God
Adam and Eve were the very first persons in the earth. God made them so he could be friends with them. God created the world (review days of creation) so that they would have a home were God could fellowship with them. They were surrounded with all good things – the plants and trees, animal friends, the sun, moon and stars to give them light – and more importantly, God gave Adam and Eve His blessing to rule the earth. God also gave Adam His command, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” God gave this command because He loved Adam and Eve and did not want them to be separated from Him and come to any harm.
But the serpent tricked them and tempted them to eat the fruit which God had forbidden them to eat. Adam and Eve listened to the voice of the serpent and disobeyed God. They chose to listen to the serpent’s voice and not to God’s voice.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they committed SIN. Sin separates us from God because God is holy and pure and sin cannot be near him. Sin has consequences – and it deserves punishment. Even though it made God sad, He had to do what is right and let Adam and Eve suffer the consequences of their sin so that they would learn why it was important to obey God’s voice. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and suffered many hardships because they became separated from God.
But God still loves Adam and Eve, and He has a plan to save them and all mankind from sin. The rest of the Bible tells us how God unfolds His amazing plan of salvation to bring back people to the perfect life He had designed for us which is to be with Him and live in harmony with each other and with all of God’s creation.
APPLICATION:
Our memory verse reminds us regarding the importance of listening to and following God’s voice. In today’s world, we are surrounded with many voices – the serpent, or more clearly, Satan, continues to try to tempt and deceive us through the voice of television, the voices of wrong kinds of friends, and even the voice inside us from our own selfish desires. All these other voices lead us to harm, pain and suffering, and any happiness or enjoyment that following these voices may gain us is only temporary. Sin always has consequences, and sin deserves punishment. That is why we need to learn how to always listen to God’s voice – and God talks to us through His Word – the BIBLE. The Bible tells us how to live according to God’s perfect will and purpose. Some have said it is like our “operating manual” which was written by the Creator Himself.
B – Basic
I – Instructions
B – Before
L – Leaving
E – Earth
1 John 5: 3-5 tells us, “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
As we hear and obey God’s Word, we learn how to be free from the penalty of sin (we receive the gift salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ), we are given the power over sin (we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who helps us overcome temptations and trials) and eventually, we will be free from the presence of sin (we receive the gift of eternal life).
Indeed, when we follow JESUS and observe His commands, we experience His blessing and favor and all the wonders of His amazing love.
PRAYER:
Father God, we thank You for Your Word, the lamp for our feet and the light to our path, to guide us to follow Your ways and lead us to Your purposes. Please help us with the Holy Spirit to read and understand your Word – the Bible, and give us the grace to obey Your commands. Help us to always listen to Your voice and not other voices, for we know, Lord, that Your voice is the one that will lead us to your plans which are always good. Thank You, Dear Lord, for your amazing love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY:
We made a DIY traffic light which we used to introduce the importance of obeying rules. This can be a good ice-breaker or even used for a game of “Stop-and-Go!” after the lesson.
Materials Used:
- 1 Tissue Box
- 1 Aluminum foil box (for the stand)
- Aluminum foil
- Glue
- Transparent tape
- Cellophane (green, yellow and red)
I just dismantled the tissue box, glued aluminum foil all over it, then cut out the circles in front and a rectangle at the back. Then the cellophane was taped on the inside before the box was pieced together again using tape. We also covered the whole aluminum box with foil and taped it into position. The rectangle hole at the back was for putting a flashlight inside so that we could play “Stop-and Go!”