Truth Lesson A Key Truths Review:

God Created Everything, even me, for a purpose.

God made me in His image. He made me for Himself.

God promises to send a Savior to rescue us.

Day 1:  TRUTH Lesson A : CREATION

(PRAY together for hearts to be opened to the TRUTH as the lesson reveals God’s word).

SAY:  Today we are going to talk about TRUTH.

ASK:  If I were to tell you “I am a Zambian”, would you say that is a true of false statement?

How would you know if I am telling the truth or a lie?

How can you know what is true?  Many times we are sure something is true but it really is not. We need someone to help us know what is a lie and what is the truth.

HOLD up the BIBLE.

ASK: “What is this?”  (The Truth).  Why is it a special book? (It is the word of God).

SAY:  God gave us the Bible so we can know the Truth.  I am going to read at the beginning of the Bible.  The first book of the Bible is called GENESIS.  Listen to all the things that God made.

Read/tell creation story from Gen. 1:1 – Gen. 2: 1-3. (While reading it would be beneficial to stop after each creation and ask the children what God created in that moment and then also review the other creations already read. This will help them remember when the go to act it out as a skit)

ACT IT OUT: Ask the children what are things that God created. Assign roles: sun, moon, a star or two, trees fish, bird, cows, Adam, Eve.  Read through the creation story again and have kids appear front and center as their character is created.  Have them put motions to it, like the sun burst or trees flowing in the wind. Encourage creativity and fun!

DISCUSSION: What are some ways man is different from all other creations? Refer to the verse Gen. 1:27 we’re made in God’s image to relate to and represent Him. God had an order to his creation and after he completed that order he saw it and it all was “very good” see Gen. 1:31

The Bible says God made everything, and made everything for a purpose. We were made for God.

THE FALL

TEACHING PICTURE: Creation

SAY: We learned about what God created. Look at this picture. What are things you see that God created? (Allow children to look at the picture and identify God’s creation). Ask them how they think Adam and Eve felt to live in such a place.

EXPLAIN: God made man and woman to live together with Him in a beautiful, perfect world.  He placed Adam and Eve (man and woman) in the Garden of Eden and said they could eat anything they wanted except the fruit from one tree.  This tree was called the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  If they ate from it God told them they would surely die.  Listen to this story from the Bible.  As you listen, answer this question: What lie does the snake tell them?

Read: Gen. 3: 1-7 (For younger kids you want to stop while reading to ask the questions below)

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

ASK:  How did the snake (the devil) get Eve to eat the fruit? (He said, “God lied to you.  You will NOT surely die.”)

Did Adam and Eve believe the lie? (Yes).

SAY: The serpent, who represents Satan, tempted Eve by telling her lies. Saying that God did not really mean that they would REALLY die, they would be more like God. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie, disobeyed God and committed the first sin. Their eyes were opened to sin and evil entered the world.

SATAN’s LIE is this:  We can each run our own lives, and be our own god.  We don’t need God to tell us how to live.  Believing and acting on this lie was the first sin, and it has infected the whole earth.  The result of this sin is SEPARATION FROM GOD.

ASK: What is TRUTH? (God’s Word, The Bible).

SAY:  This is the_________ (hold up Bible and prompt kids to say BIBLE).

The Bible is ____   ______. (Prompt kids to say, GOD’S WORD.)

God’s Word is the _______ (TRUTH). (Repeat this with kids regularly throughout week!)

SAY:  Satan is the LIAR and wants you to believe him instead of God.  Satan tells us that God’s laws are not really for our own good, that we can’t trust God.  Today we are learning the TRUTH: that Satan is a liar!

READ: Gen. 3:8-24

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

ASK: What was the sin Adam and Eve did? (They ate from the forbidden tree; they lied about it; they didn’t trust God).

What did God do when Adam and Eve sinned?

TEACHING PICTURE: Sent from the Garden

ASK: What do you see in this picture? How do you think Adam & Eve felt as they were sent from the garden?

Why didn’t God let Adam and Eve stay in the garden? (Encourage some discussion. You may need to help them think this through a bit.  People can overlook a mistake, but sins are more serious, and God is holy.  This means He is perfectly just and can’t sin. He separates Himself from evil.)

Have you ever done something you knew was wrong, but you did it anyway?  How did you feel?  What happened after you did it?

TEACHING PICTURE: Creation and Fall of Man (put these pictures next to each other)

ASK: Look at this picture, how is it different? How does their life look compared to the other picture?

SAY: God’s word says that all humans, men, women, and people in every country, are all sinners.  Because Adam and Eve sinned, we are all sinners, too.  Our nature is to sin.  We don’t naturally seek after God.  We are all the same when it comes to sin, and God takes sin very seriously.  But God also gives us a promise, even this early, to send a SAVIOR to save us from the results of sin.

READ GENESIS 3:15:  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he (the he is Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  (This takes some work to understand; Jesus is the promised Savior who will crush the head of the serpent satan- the devil, but mankind will be attacked by satan in this world.)

REVIEW POINTS: TRUTH PICTURE Lesson A:

  1. GOD created everything, including ME and YOU, for a purpose.
  2. GOD made me and God made you in HIS IMAGE. He made us for HIMSELF.
  3. GOD promised to send a Savior to rescue us from the penalty of sin.

MEMORY VERSE (Use Truth Book):  (2 Timothy 3:16)  All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

PRAYER :  God, we thank You that you created everything.  Thank you for making me for a purpose and in Your image.  I am so glad You have a plan to save me from sin.  Thank You for loving me so much.  Amen.

CRAFT :  CREATION PIN

Have kids look around for natural items to put inside their clear contact paper. For example grass, leaves, flowers;  you may use the glitter to decorate before pressing the contact paper together.  Use safety pins to pin to their shirt. Remind them: GOD created EVERYTHING, including them, for a purpose.

Truth Lesson B Key Truths Review:

God is just and will judge all sin

I am a sinner who has sinned against God

God saves by His grace.

DAY 2: TRUTH lesson B (morning)

GOD SENDS A FLOOD

Greet children: Ask them how their evening was, see if there are any prayer requests. Pray for the morning lesson and that God’s word be revealed and add any prayer requests from the children.  Hand out their shirts, truth books, name tags and bandanas from previous day.

REVIEW: Revisit the Key Truths from Lesson Truth A (use picture)

PRACTICE: Memory Verse 2 Timothy 3:16

SAY: This morning we are going to learn a story in the Bible which shows how pure God is and also how He rescues His people.  This story happens after Adam and Eve have died and begins with God looking at all the people on the earth.

HOLD UP YOUR BIBLE AND SAY:  This is the _________. (Bible)

The Bible is _____ ________. (God’s Word)

God’s Word is the ________.  (Truth)

READ:  Gen. 6:5-8

ASK:  When God saw man’s evil, how did He feel?

TEACHING PICTURE: Noah Builds an Ark

Show the picture and ask the children what they see. Just let the conversation guide itself as long as it is focused on what they see in the picture.

READ: Gen. 6:13-22

ASK: What did God decide to do about the evil he saw?  Who are the main characters in this story?

ACT IT OUT

Divide children into three groups: Noah’s family, the animals, and the evil men.  Have the evil men pretend to yell and laugh at Noah and family as they pretend to hammer on a boat.  Then have the flood come.  Noah’s family makes a circle for the boat; the animals go inside the circle.  The bad men drown outside the circle, yelling blub-blub-blub and pretending to swim.  Let children have fun, but keep on track for more Bible reading!

TEACHING PICTURE: Noah and the Flood

ASK: What do you see happening in the picture? Lead the children to take notice of the animals coming in pairs, the oncoming storm, etc..

NOW READ: Gen. 7: 1-5, 11-24 (Use the picture to help illustrate the story if desired)

ASK:  Who escaped the flood?  Why? (Noah and his family believed God and found favor with Him).  Who did not escape the flood?  Why? (Everyone else on earth.  They had sinned and weren’t sorry for their sins.)

What does this story tell you about God? (God cannot overlook sin).

Let’s talk about how God sees SIN. God hates sin.  Sin grieves Him, and cuts to His heart (Gen. 6:6.)  Sin offends Him.  In Jeremiah 2:13, SIN replaces God with something else.

Let’s think about this.  Let’s say someone stole all of your things, beat you up, and burned/ tore down the house you live in.

ASK:

  • What should happen to that person?
  • What would you think if the judge didn’t punish the thief, but let him go free?
  • Would he be a good judge? Why not?

SAY:  I am going to read from my Bible, in the New Testament Book of Acts.  (Read Acts 17:31).

God says He will judge all sin one day.  He will remove all evil in the world and punish those who do evil acts.  Let’s think about what it will be like when there is no longer anyone to hurt, kill, steal, or cause pain.  Won’t that be a great day?  Yes, it will be a great day when God removes all evil and pain.  But there is a problem, isn’t there?

SAY:  I am going to read another verse from the Bible.  The book of ROMANS, Chapter 3, verse 23, says: “…for all have SINNED and fall short of the glory of GOD.”

ASK:  Who does the Bible say sinned?  (ALL)

Have you sinned against God?  How do you know?

If you have sinned against God, will God someday judge you?

Romans 3:23 says we have ALL broken God’s law.  We have ALL sinned.  According to the Bible we are ALL GUILTY before Him.

(This may at times be difficult, but remember, before anyone can come to Jesus, they must see their need of a Savior.  And Jesus will fit that need perfectly.)

SAY:  BUT, even though God says we are all guilty before Him, He has a plan to save those whom, like Noah, believe in Him and ask Him to save them.

MEMORY VERSE: (Use Truth Book) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

(Explain “wages” if necessary).

REVIEW POINTS:  TRUTH PICTURE Lesson B:

  1. God is just and will judge all sin.
  2. I am a sinner and I have sinned against GOD.
  3. God saves us by His grace.

PRAY TOGETHER:  Lord God, our Father, you are holy.  Help us to understand what that means.  We have all sinned.  Without a way to remove our sins, you cannot be with us and we are separated from You.  Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to pay for our sins on the cross.  Thank you for making a way for us to be with you, Father God.  We praise YOU!  AMEN.

TEACHING PICTURE: God’s Covenant and Rainbow (Genesis 8 and 9)

Using this picture you will want to explain that God made a covenant (a promise) with Noah. That the rain would stop falling and the water would recede. Share that Noah sent out a dove and when it returned with a freshly plucked olive branch he knew the water had receded from the earth. When the earth was dry enough, Noah and his family came out of the ark along with all the living creatures. Noah built an ark to the Lord and gave offerings (seen in the picture); God made a covenant with Noah.

READ: Gen. 9:12-17

CRAFT:  Rainbow Slap Bracelets

Help campers pick out rainbow crayon colors and share them as they draw a rainbow on their slap bracelet.  Help them to write out the memory verse, with the rainbow as a background, with a fine-tipped permanent marker. (Romans 6:23) Show them how to SLAP on their rainbow verse bracelet!